If you are reading this, you know that Latinos are a prime consumer target for a large number of consumer-focused companies across the American economy. They spend billions in an effort to try to convince us to buy their products and services. They invest so much money because we are a very attractive and lucrative consumer market: 54 million strong with spending power of $1.5 trillion USD. We are also trendsetters and are very loyal consumers.

Brand connections start with speaking the same language.

The "millennial experts" of today have replaced the "social media experts" of the previous decade. This new cottage industry is driven by demand from large organizations and brands that are still trying to figure out how to make the millennial market work for them.

Marketers have focused on millennials for nearly a decade, making them among the most-studied group of young adults. But as the tail end of millennials turn 21 and graduate from college, it's time to turn our attention to next major consumer group - those under 21.

Hispanic purchasing power in the U.S. is $1.5 trillion, with a total population of 54 million. 26 million are on Facebook, 12 million on Twitter and 9.6 million on Instagram. And in 2016, the opportunity to capture this $1.5 trillion socially connected, mobile-first Hispanic consumer is larger than ever before.

Last month, Tamara Barber from Simmons Research led an insightful webinar on Hispanic Teens in conjunction with AHAA. The webinar highlighted some key differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic teens and provided insights that give marketers important clues for connecting with the up and coming Hispanic teen segment.

Every time I speak with someone about Hispanic marketing, it is clear there is a huge disconnect between understanding the importance of reaching Hispanics and actually doing so. Marketers see the huge potential of this consumer group, so where is the disconnect? I turned to Tara Jaye Frank, corporate culture advisor and CEO with TJF Career Modeling, for her thoughts. Tara is an expert in Hispanic marketing; prior to TJF, she chartered and led Hallmark Cards' Multicultural Center of Excellence, and currently acts as Hallmark's corporate culture advisor, reporting to the president.

The sharing economy is booming. Some of the most highly valued tech companies in the past decade have been spawned from this new economic model, tapping into the collective for services rather than a single entity. With sky rocketing valuations comes tremendous pressure to consistently increase revenue for investors in order to set themselves up for an eventual IPO.

Latinos are quickly becoming a powerful economic force, so tailoring messaging to them should be a key marketing strategy for companies that want to reach this demographic. But simply developing a communications campaign directed at Latinos is not enough.